Hiro

This past weekend, I stumbled across the photography of Yasuhiro Wakabayashi and I fell in love instantly. Discovering his work when I did seems to be some pretty exceptional timing as well, as we have just been briefed on the tasks for the next two weeks which focuses largely on fashion photography. Hiro, as he is professionally known, is my current inspiration in the realm of fashion photography.

So who is Hiro? A Japanese national, Hiro immigrated to the USA in 1954. In 1956, he began working as an apprentice under the highly regarded fashion photographer Richard Avedon. However, Avedon believed he was too talented to not be working independently and, after just two years, Hiro was introduced to infamous art director Alexey Brodovitch. From here, his rise to fame in the photography was relatively quick. Though he had been working for Harper’s Bazaar since 1956, it was in 1963 that he became the only photographer under contract for the magazine. This accomplishment is a huge testament to his skills as his concepts and execution were incomparable. Strong visuals, exceptional lighting, and a tendency for perfectionism made each of his photographs inimitable.  

Hiro’s images, which are reminiscent of a minimal, surrealist, daydream, are powerful examples of the successes of film photography. His images seem almost impossible without photoshop; with vivid colors and abstract highlights that appear to be neon lights or shadows of the same image, one is in absolute awe that such images can exist without the advanced technology we have today. However, even with photoshop and the many new settings and features we have on digital cameras, very few people are able to come close to replicating his photography.

So what makes his photography the most inspiring to me right now? When I found an image by Hiro while scrolling through Pinterest, I was instantly drawn to the aesthetic. The vivid colors and almost psychedelic visuals were an instant pull that made me want to see more. Most of his photography feels foreign and experimental, like he is contrasting the norm and what is to be expected and I instantly loved this concept without even knowing who he was. Upon further research, I learned that he was even more groundbreaking in his field than I had initially thought, which was a pleasant surprise. As I go forward in studying the multiple layers of fashion communication and promotion, I can only hope that my ideas, concepts, and execution will turn out half as incredible as the photography of Hiro.